Hello and happy Monday! How was your weekend? Mine was good! Busy, but good. Hope yours was amazing! I’m super excited about this post, because today I am featured on The Model’s Office, a lifestyle blog which covers fashion, wellness, travel and beyond, all seen through the lens of Adela Capova, a NYC-based model and founder of the site. She might look familiar to you guys from her spotlight feature on Your Soul Style. Adela captured the most beautiful photos on a brisk day in the West Village, and followed up with asking brilliant, thought-provoking questions that facilitated a wonderful journey down my personal path towards SOUL and STYLE.

Thank you so much Adela for the wonderful images, introspective questions, and super kind words. Thank you for articulating the philosophy and vision behind Your Soul Style so beautifully. Be sure to follow Adela along on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, for tips on nutrition, fitness, fashion and so much more.

A quick teaser of the interview below, but click here for the full read which includes advice on how to build your network as a stylist, what I’m inspired by, styling tips, and 5 key pieces every woman should own…

Q&A WITH THE MODEL’S OFFICE

ADELA: What do you love about fashion, how did you get to it?

JENNY: There is not a time in my life I can remember not loving fashion. Even at a very young age, I was thoughtful about presenting myself to the world, and always used style as a vehicle of self-expression. While other kids were scraping their knees climbing trees and riding bikes, I was creating my fashion identity. I am not interested in fitting in and conforming. I use what I wear to establish my individuality. I love knowing that I can tell someone about who I am, without uttering a word.

My official fashion career started in college. I interned for major fashion brands during summer breaks and after graduation began freelance styling. A few months in, I landed a full-time role as an assistant stylist for the tween catalog, Alloy. I will never forget my boss at the time, who taught me all of the technical styling skills that I still use to this day.

ADELA: What was your dream job when growing up?

JENNY: Styling. Always. I can’t tell you how many endless hours were spent putting together my barbie dolls’ ensembles. I was totally consumed.

ADELA: How does your regular day look like when you work on a photo shoot? How much do you need to prepare for it?

JENNY: It takes a lot more preliminary work than people think, especially when working with a specific brand. I spend most days strategizing with the merchandising and in-house creative teams to ensure what we put together represents the company from a creative and brand positioning point of view, but also considers the business perspective. Key items, inventory levels, production timelines, delivery dates, color stories, monthly concepts, marketing – all of it needs to be accounted for. When you are working with a brand, the most important thing is selling clothes and the bottom line. On the editorial side, the pre-planning is more story focused, artistic and conceptual. Collecting the clothes, which can come from varying agencies and showrooms around the city is the most cumbersome part of the job. Once the shoot is done, the clothes then need to be returned. The work that goes in on the days leading up and after is what takes the most time (and is the least glamorous).

A few weeks back, I took an all day photography class at the International Center for Photography with my friend Adela whom you may remember from here. As a visual person, I’ve always loved capturing images that convey the deeper message of a moment and photography does just that. Being an adult student is a far cry from my college years of ditching typically required classes and getting by. I am now a committed learner because I only invest in the topics I am passionate about. My successes have been driven by doing what I love.

Sometimes I think about the next thirty years of my career and wonder how it will all play out. It continues to transition and evolve through working on this blog, freelance styling and expanding on the Your Soul Style brand, but there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about another project I want to tackle. There is so much that I want to do, but at the risk of not spreading myself too thin, I recognize all will happen in due time! It doesn’t matter how old or how established you are in any area of your life. If you thirst for something new, indulge yourself and do it. There is no time better than the present to embrace the life you want. Find it, do it, create it, live it and love it. What’s it gonna be? Happy weekend! xx jenny

I met Czech Republic born Adela Capova on a recent photoshoot in NYC. A triple threat, in the most non-threatening of ways, she is a model, lifestyle blogger and recently certified health counselor. Adela’s career began when she was scouted in Prague at the age of 16. While typical high school students were getting their homework done, she was simultaneously traveling through Europe (alone) for work. Multi-tasking, hard work and independence were traits established early on that lend themselves to the women she is today. She’s lived in Istanbul, Paris, LA, London and New York – where she currently resides with fiancé, author and CEO, Mike Cooper. Adela is not your typical model, her passions extend far beyond the lens. The Models Office, her lifestyle blog, serves up tips on travel, fashion and beauty, but puts an emphasis on fitness, nutrition and overall wellness, which she knows are essential for a balanced life. She understands the pressure and expectations from her industry and inspires women to engage in healthy behaviors to reach their physical potential. She is committed to paying forward the success she has gained from her own experience. Adela is a part of Cleanse, an “initiative to help models achieve their career goals in a healthy and sustainable way while also helping to preserve the health and beauty of our planet” founded by fellow model, Anne-Marie Van Dijk. She is also building her own nutrition-based brand and starting a charity organization, both due to launch in 2014. Stay tuned! My favorite part about interviewing Adela for Your Soul Style was that on my set she got to be Adela. There is not much room for personal style when modeling, but on this day it was welcomed and encouraged. She showed up fresh faced and authentic with a radiant smile. Once stripped of the professional hair, make-up and styling, something way more beautiful was exposed – herself. Adela and I had a profound discussion about soul, style and soul style. Here’s what she had to say about hers…

Adela, what is your soul style?

My soul style is very low key and must be comfortable. I like to express myself with what I’m wearing. I like to show my personality and it represents the mood I’m in. I’m not crazy on following fashion trends. I believe that clothes should not over-shine you as a person, they should complete you.

How do you describe your style?

I like to keep things to a minimum and love wearing ‘clean’ and fresh looks. I’d say I have a classic, minimalistic style with a twist. I love the play of different materials and enjoy combining textures. Since I’m an enthusiastic “clothes-maker”, I stress about the quality of fabrics and construction. I understand the process so it influences the way I shop and what I purchase. I enjoy sourcing fabrics, designing patterns and eventually sewing my own designs. I’ve been doing this since I was 10, when I designed clothes for my Barbies. It makes me happy and is a little meditation.

What does your style say about you?

Hopefully that I’m comfy in my own skin, happy, and that I make an effort for that particular occasion, but not that much! I like to look prepared, but not spend hours getting ready.

Where do you draw inspiration from? Do you have a style icon?

I get inspiration from anywhere! Museums, magazines, people I meet, patterns and colors of the earth, Taschen books and much more. Very cliché, I guess? Ask my fiancé; this is actually one of the most annoying things about me. I pull tears from magazines and books and take a lot of photos of different textures and designs and print them out. Our house can sometimes look like a huge recycling factory. I can also spend hours in fabric stores. It’s heaven on earth for me – especially in NYC, where we have some great ones. I like to create mood boards, which are useful for inspiration to create something new and original.

My style icons come and go, although my mum’s style has always been a huge inspiration to me since I was a kid. She taught me that it’s actually okay to have a style, any style, and to get creative with it. She used to make all of her clothes during communism in the Czech Republic. She wasn’t afraid of being different either. When everyone else in the 80’s was wearing puffy wedding dresses, she wore a little slip with lace.

I also admire the simple and minimalistic style of Swedish blogger Elin Kling, who I had a chance to meet. She looks even better in person than in pictures. I’ve always enjoyed the way Sarah Jessica Parker dresses. She’s very original. Eva Mendes does the curvy, sexy latin-gorgeousness kind of look very well too. Grace Kelly is a classic, always useful for inspiration.

Did your style evolve over time or has it stayed consistent?

It definitely evolved, thank God, and is still evolving. It’s like everything else – you evolve as a person, so does your style. As I get older, I become more comfortable in my skin. I like me better!

Do you have any style challenges?

Yes, of course. In my job, very often I’m asked to wear specific items for certain occasions. There’s a lot of pressure since it’s the fashion industry. I tend to get really nervous about it and can never find anything to wear. Packing for work trips is another challenge of mine. I don’t enjoy that at all. I guess all this is about confidence which is my challenge sometimes. The more confident I am about myself, the less I worry what I wear. I am most confident when I’m healthy and super fit.

Do you have a favorite fashion/style moment?

Princess’s Diana wedding! Just kidding! Whenever I get to dress-up for an event or a dinner with my fiancé and I can see how proud he is when introducing me, I feel like a fashion star.

And your worst?

Loads! I used to make my own clothes in high school. I made my own dresses for prom and school dances. They didn’t turn out the best, but I wore them anyway. Sometimes it’s just better to wear that simple black dress.

Must have item in your wardrobe?

A great pair of skinny jeans that fit just right, a couple of simple white T-shirts, some tank tops and a black blazer. A nice printed scarf and you’re good to go for a few months. Comfortable, simple and in your own skin.